


love in new york

by galaxiesofthem



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Love, M/M, Not a sports Fic, but could be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 13:13:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14333181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxiesofthem/pseuds/galaxiesofthem
Summary: james is a professional soccer player. he and teddy haven't seen each other in almost three years. a love letter to both new york and my (almost) brand new jeddy fandom friends.





	love in new york

Sipping delicately at the bitter beverage he could only barely call coffee, Teddy Lupin kept his eyes trained on the revolving door leading into the hotel’s lobby. Early afternoons were bustling times for New York City hotels, hotels in general, and he wanted to be sure he didn’t miss seeing James walk in. After all, part of the reason he’d even bothered to come was to see the look of surprise clear across his best friend’s face.

Being a professional soccer player, football to their home country, left James with little free time. The spare moments, or days, he had were often spent back home in London. His even being in the states was a rare occurrence. One that Teddy full intended to take advantage of.

He perched himself on one of the fairly uncomfortable chairs in the lobby of the infamous St. Regis hotel. Typically outsiders couldn’t simply flit about, especially ones that looked like him, but Teddy had built connections in his time living in Manhattan. No one would bother him just yet. The strange blue hair and multitude of piercings had adults and children alike steering clear of him on their way in and out of the hotel. Teddy didn’t mind much. Even in a place like New York he was used to getting stares in the street.

A pack of men dressed similarly in tracksuits, duffel bags slung over their shoulders, suddenly bombarded their way through the doors of one of New York’s most expensive hotels as if they had not a single care in the world. One of the men still had on his muddy cleats from practice. Teddy couldn’t help the cringe that formed across his face at the sight. Grown men acting like children always agitated him, especially if the grown men seemed to have zero concern for the people that would have to clean up after their mess.

“Teddy?” An all too familiar voice called out.

Standing within all the madness was none other than James Sirius Potter himself. Truthfully, Teddy felt stupid not to have realized it. The group did look like athletes, after all. Besides, he’d seen almost every game James ever played. Recognizing his teammates should’ve been a breeze. Teddy blamed it on the distraction they all seemed to cause and stood up from his seat, taking his nearly empty coffee cup with him. Unlike these men, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving a mess out for someone else to take care of. Even if it was their job.

The natural grin spread out across James’s face was as genuine as ever. His pearly whites practically twinkled as he hopped giddily from one foot to the other waiting for Teddy to barrel through his teammates to greet him. The rest of the men parted like the red sea leaving the two old friends in front of each other in silence.

For a moment they both just stared at each other. James only partially believing that Teddy was actually actually standing in front of him, and Teddy a bit taken aback at how much better he suddenly felt to be in James’s presence yet again.

“Two years,” James breathed. Low enough for only the two of them to hear.

That’s how long it had been since they’d last seen each other in person. Almost three years ago, in fact, at Christmas. The holiday season after that one, Teddy got an assignment to shoot in West Africa. Last year, James was too busy with the team to come home either. They still texted and called and Skyped but it wasn’t the same.

The persistent thud in Teddy’s chest crawled to a lowly beat making its way through the whole of his body. His brain seemed to catch up with his body in realizing he hadn’t said a word when James reached both hands out and pulled Teddy into him.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

Teddy sighed against his body, wrapping his arms around the man’s back and pulling him closer. They never felt close enough in this state for Teddy.

“Jamie,” Teddy sighed.

He could almost cry at the soft murmur that escaped James’s lips at the use of his nickname. There was no way Skype calls could ever do this feeling justice. Teddy felt at home in James’s arms, his face shamelessly buried in the crook of the man’s neck. Somewhere in the back of their minds they worried about how this must have looked but neither seemed to care in that moment. Too focused on the feel of their bodies pressed against each other for the first time in far too long.

James sobered up faster than Teddy. Thankfully so, too, because more than just James’s teammates were beginning to look on. Teddy could’ve sworn he heard one of the men asking if Teddy was dying. James placed a hand on either side of Teddy’s frame, keeping his grip firm on the leather of the man’s jacket if only to make sure he didn’t faint.

“How—” James started.

The ends of Teddy’s lips quirked up. “I am Remus Lupin’s son, you know. A little surprise on my best friend is the least I can do.”

They both laughed at that. “Did Mum or Dad tell you?” James asked.

“Lily,” Teddy fessed up.

James shook his head with a laugh. “Of course,” he said. Teddy had always been Lily’s favorite. Explaining to her that Teddy wasn’t actually her brother had been one of the most heartbreaking things James could ever remember experiencing. Something that he tried — and failed — to recall on that same night was Teddy’s promise to the five year old girl that someday he would be her family for real. James tried not to think of all the possible implications of that phrasing now that Victoire was long out of the picture.

“Potter!” One of the men, Teddy thought his name might’ve been Raymond, called out.

True to his nature, James didn’t lift his gaze away from Teddy’s as he answered a quick, “Yeah?”

Out of his periphery, Teddy could see some of the men roll their eyes and other try to hold in their laughs. Obviously he was missing a joke somewhere but he didn’t mind at all. Teddy was used to being the odd man out. His whole life had been spent that way. But with James standing in front of him, all the feelings of not belonging suddenly vanished. Like magic.

“We’re gonna get our things all sorted up in the rooms,” Raymond said.

Teddy watched as a flicker of annoyance made its way across James’s face only to just as quickly be masked by the man’s most proper and polite grin. A grin that got the both of them out of quite a lot of trouble back in their boarding school days.

“Alright,” James replied.

His teammates hung around for only another minute before they gave up on getting anything further out of him and headed up towards their rooms. “Do you have to go with them?” Teddy found himself asking, a hint of desperation in his tone.

He didn’t want this moment to end. The two men hadn’t looked away from each other for a second since reuniting. Teddy didn’t feel like he was ready to. Neither did James but Teddy didn’t know this.

“No.” James said quickly.

A small smile appeared on Teddy’s face. “Good,” he said. “Let me show you around Manhattan.”

 

They had to hold hands. That’s the excuse that Teddy gave himself as he clutched desperately at the callused hand beneath his much softer one. If they didn’t hold hands than James would surely get lost. The man got lost in their small village. He would surely get lost in a city as big as this. Teddy’s heart beat faster than usual, about as fast as was normal in the presence of James, as they weaved through the crowded streets of New York. He could’ve sworn that James could hear it even over all the ruckus and noise of the strangers beside them.

Honestly, Teddy had no idea where he was taking James. He’d never been to the Big Apple before and there was a lot to see. Teddy knew that James would be more inclined to the stereotypical tourist destinations like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty but they all felt too impersonal. The man wanted to show his best friend New York City through his eyes. Only one thing came to mind that felt incredibly ‘them,’ but Teddy thought it might be too early to take James back to his place.

It also might have been his nerves that stopped him from doing so. James wouldn’t have seen it as anything more than two mates hanging out. At least that’s what Teddy always assumed, but it still felt like too much too soon. They’d only just gotten reacquainted. So instead Teddy took James to the next destination that popped up in his mind.

Central Park.

The park might have been a tourist site to most visitors, but it was also just a park like any other. Most of Teddy’s mornings were spent on a bench at the entrance sipping on a coffee before heading off to work. He also often shot on location in certain areas of the park. It had become one of his favorite spots in the city despite its popularity and endless supply of both locals and tourists alike.

“You’re kidding?” James laughed as he recognized the distinctive boulders set up around the space.

Teddy grinned sheepishly, reluctantly releasing his grip on James’s hand as they marched further into the park. As Teddy had expected, James loved it. The free open space and greenery that felt something foreign to the more typical sky scraper landscape of the city.

About twenty minutes into exploring — more accurately Teddy standing around watching in awe as James explored — the latter got recognized. It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, but it had never happened in Teddy’s presence before. He’d heard about it the very first time over Skype. James ran around his flat in an excited frenzy looking the most happy and alive Teddy could ever remember seeing him. It felt surreal to be watching as James took the fan coming at him in stride. So calm and collected.

James smiled warmly as a little boy, no older than ten, cautiously came up to them flanked by his parents. He had a puffy blue jacket on despite the spring weather and a gap toothed smile that seemed a bit young for his age.

“Are you James Potter?” The boy asked.

Nodding, James said, “I am. And who are you?”

Teddy recognized the tone of voice as one James often used on his younger siblings and cousins. He smiled just as wide as the boy responded shyly, “Jacob.”

“Well hi, Jacob. It’s nice to meet you. Would you like a picture?” James directed the question at one of the parents already holding up a cell phone poised at the ready.

The little boy, Jacob, nodded his head vehemently. Teddy stood off to the side as the parents took one of the two of them standing together, another one of James crouched next to Jacob, and then handed over the phone to Teddy to get in one as well.

He tried not to think about the slight change in James’s smile the second he stood behind the camera. It seemed to be the smile only reserved for him and sent a shiver down his spine. Teddy simply chalked it up to a chill in the air.

When the boy and his parents were finally out of sight, Teddy nudged James’s shoulder with his own as they walked. The younger man turned to look at him, that same smile not gone from his face. “Yes, Teddy?” James asked with a laugh.

“You’re so good at that,” Teddy said. “It’s—” he struggled to find his words, “inspiring.” He said finally.

A blush crept along the side of James’s neck, turning his cheeks a soft rose color that made butterflies swirl in the pit of Teddy’s stomach. He’d never believed all the talk of hearts swooning and stomachs turning due to love until James. Even with Victoire he’d never felt such things. Only James. Only ever James.

“It was just one fan,” James muttered.

Teddy smiled, throwing an arm over his best friend’s shoulders. “My little Jamie has a fan. Multiple fans, actually. I still can’t quite believe it,” Teddy said.

James’s smile faltered slightly at the words, but Teddy was too awash in his pride to notice. He also didn’t notice the pained expression that crossed James’s face for the briefest of seconds either.

The pair continued their walk through Central Park for only another hour or so before James began to get antsy and bored. Teddy almost completely forgot what it was like to be in the presence of James Sirius Potter. The man had the attention span of a toddler.

“Where to next?” James asked giddily as they circled the park another time, landing at the entrance they’d come in from.

“What were you thinking?” Teddy asked.

His ideas had come and gone so quick that at this point he would blindly follow any suggestion James made. It might’ve seemed scary if he wasn’t already expecting the next words to come out of Teddy’s mouth to be, “Food.”

Teddy chuckled. “Food it is,” he said.

 

One of the best things about Manhattan for Teddy was the food. Less the pizza and all the Italian cuisine that everyone else seemed to love. Even the bagels he typically shied away from. No. For Edward Remus Lupin, it was all about the foreign cuisine. Thai, Indian, Chinese, Egyptian. You name it and Teddy loved to eat it. He thought it might have stemmed from traveling all over the world as a part of his job. The food from other countries just tasted so much better to him.

Despite that, though, Teddy knew he couldn’t take James to one of his favorite spots. The man was a professional athlete, to start, and he’d also always had a much weaker stomach than Teddy. So he stopped at a hole in the wall coffee shop instead.

The place had plenty of food items on top of their beverage list, so he knew James would be able to find something to eat. Teddy’s stomach was in far too many knots to even think about food. He blamed James. He also blamed the fact that the two hadn’t seen each other in years. It made it all the more difficult to live with if the nauseated feelings came sporadically rather than remained constant like they used to when the two were teenagers.

Not that Teddy had been feeling things remotely like this for James since they were kids. Nope. No way. That so was not a thing that happened.

A loud bell on top of the door announced the men’s entrance to the cafe. Teddy blushed as the rest of the patrons looked up from their tables to ogle at the pair. By their clasped hands, Teddy realized that they must have assumed the two were a couple. That wasn’t a problem in this part of Manhattan, or any part of Manhattan really, but it still made Teddy a little nervous. Because it was James and James had a spotlight on him.

James, however, didn’t seem to notice all the stares. He sauntered in as he always did and waited patiently in line chatting adamantly to Teddy about all his possible choices. Eventually he settled on a chai latte and a vegan gluten free brownie. His excuse for ordering a dessert being that the fact that it was vegan and gluten free meant that it was okay for him to eat it.

Teddy opted for a decaf coffee in the hopes of not further agitating his stomach and promised James he would pick on his brownie so he would have less to eat. The younger man smiled cheekily at that. They found a nice quiet corner towards the back of the cafe and sat across from each other at the small booth/table combo.

Playing footsie under the table hadn’t been Teddy’s end game. Truthfully and honestly, it hadn’t. And he’d only picked the quiet corner table because he selfishly wanted some more alone time with James. He was pretty sure that in a place like this a professional athlete wouldn’t get recognized, but he didn’t want to take the chance. They hadn’t even really had a genuine conversation yet. Just the mindless sort of chit chat one would typically expect from grade school acquaintances.

But here they were anyway. James’s right leg wrapped securely around Teddy’s and his left foot rubbing slowly up the side of the man’s calf. Teddy had a hard time swallowing. He most certainly struggled to breathe as James chattered away at his end of the table about the latest statistics and percentages of his team’s opponents.

James broke off a small piece of brownie and held it up to Teddy’s lips. Half in a daze, Teddy didn’t even realize he had opened his mouth until his tongue hit the tip of James’s finger sending the faux chocolate hurriedly down his throat, almost choking him in the process.

“Are you alright, Ted?” James asked, suddenly serious.

Teddy coughed a couple of times, slapping his palm against his sternum for posterity. He could tell that his face was flaming red and hoped that James chalked it up to the near death experience rather than the true reason behind the blush.

“Yes.” Teddy cleared his throat. “I’m alright. Totally fine.”

With the mood completely shifted, the pair sat in an awkward silence in the minutes that followed. James didn’t unhook his leg from Teddy’s but he also remained stationary against the man. Everything felt as if it was at a stand still. And then the worst happened.

“Excuse me?”

Teddy looked up from staring blankly at his lap. Standing a short ways away from the side of their table was an attractive looking couple of girls. They were holding hands and the one on the right sported a tiny pride pin on the strap of her backpack. From the looks of them they couldn’t have been more than sixteen.

“Yes?” Teddy spoke.

James didn’t seem to be paying much attention, and if these were a couple of his fans Teddy automatically felt bad that they had to be in the presence of such obvious uncomfortableness.

“I just wanted to say that we think you guys make such a cute couple.” One of the girls said.

The blush on Teddy’s face deepened and now James looked up. Taking it in stride, though, James smiled at the two of them seemingly aware that Teddy wouldn’t be able to form any type of coherent sentences at that.

“Thank you,” he replied. “We don’t actually get that often. I’m glad to see someone thinks so.”

The reason that these random girls coming up to the two of them was the worse thing was because Teddy suddenly knew. In that moment, it was like over a decades worth of information came barreling at him all at once and he knew.

I’m glad to see someone thinks so, James had said. He said it so pointedly, too. And as James continued aimlessly chatting with the girls, asking where they were from and stupid things like that, Teddy became all too aware of his own stupidity.

“I apologize,” Teddy said suddenly.

Three pairs of eyes looked at him expectantly. Something that should’ve made Teddy’s stomach whirl with anxiety propelled him further. He pulled out his phone as a show of checking the time and plastered on the best sympathetic smile he could muster up. It wasn’t hard now that he was doing it. Lying felt like second nature all of a sudden.

“We’re actually going to be late if we don’t leave,” Teddy said.

James’s eyebrows drew together in confusion but he stood anyway as Teddy did, apologizing to the girl’s standing in front of him. They called out that it was okay right as the door closed behind them.

The entire walk and taxi ride back to Teddy’s apartment, James didn’t stop asking questions. Where are we going? Why did we leave? What’s wrong? Are you okay? Jesus, Ted, answer me. Seriously? You’re not going to answer me? God, this must be what it’s like to be my parents. I mean, I never answer them. Wow. I was such a horrible child. I have to call them and apologize. Oh my God, Ted! What the hell? Why won’t you answer me? You’re seriously scaring me. I’m gonna kill you if this is all about you having to take a shit in the comfort of your own home. All that coffee, Ted. What did I tell you about all that coffee you drink? One day, your body will rebel against you for refusing tea like the rest of us.

The door to Teddy’s apartment slammed shut behind the two of them. James turned on his heel, not even bothering to take in the sight of Teddy’s lavish loft, readying himself to shout and interrogate as best he knew how. Only he didn’t get that far.

With one hand, Teddy pressed James into the back of the front door instantly silencing any words that would have otherwise left the man’s mouth. Pinned to the wall, James Sirius Potter was speechless for the first time in his life.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” Teddy said. “I’m all about consent, you know, so tell me now if you don’t want me to.”

James simply blinked. Teddy stood a breath away from him, staring into his eyes for only a moment longer before descending on him. The kiss started out gentle enough. A soft questioning press of the lips. They were testing each other, testing themselves. Was this okay? How about this?

It didn’t take long before James tongue slipped into Teddy’s mouth and all bets were off. Teddy nipped at the bottom of James’s lips, inciting an earth shattering moan that made Teddy feel weak in the knees and hard somewhere else entirely. Their kiss felt endless. As did this moment. Neither wanted it to end.

Teddy didn’t know what happened next. After all, they lived in two separate countries and were practically family. But even though he had no plan, Teddy knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that James was his future. He knew even before that they were destined to be together. James pulled away only enough to suck in a breath of air and rest his forehead against Teddy’s.

“I love you,” Teddy breathed.

“It took you look enough,” James replied.

**Author's Note:**

> this idea came very randomly to me and just kind of flowed out of me. honestly, i know that it got a bit shit at the end and i'm sorry. it's so hard for me to come up with endings to things. i hoped you liked it anyway, though!! give me a comment or kudos or whatever. thanks for reading!!


End file.
